Handling device.



J. A. CHAMBERS.

HANDLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY [4, 1911.

1,291,404, Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

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JOHN A. CHAMBERS, OF NEWBURG, MISSOURI.

HANDLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

Application filed May 14, 1917. Serial No. 168,443.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. CHAMBERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newburg, in the county of Phelps and State of Missouri, haveinvented a new and useful Handling Device, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to apparatus for handling mail and is designedmore particularly for use in connection with the mechanism disclosed,for example, in Patent N 0. 1,150,340 issued on August 17th, 1915.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide novel, simple andefficient means for gripping the sack while it is suspended from asupporting structure, the gripping means serving to hold the sackwithout injuring it and without requiring the use of relatively movablejaws or other gripping elements such as used in some apparatus of thischaracter.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of the parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings the pre ferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus constituting the presentinvention, a portion of the car structure being as shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates aportion of the wall of a car and secured to the inner surface of thiswall close to the car door opening 2 is a bearing 3 in which isjournaled a vertical shaft 4. Extending from the upper end of this shaftis a radial arm 5 which merges at its free end into an arcuate arm 6.When the arm 5 is swung against the inner surface of the car wall, thisarcuatc arm 6 is adapted to swing outwardly and forwardly through theopening 2.

Connected to or formed with the free end of the arcuate arm is avertical bar 7. Upper and lower fingers 8 and 9 extend from the ends ofthis bar. The finger 8 is exfinger being indicated at 17 and beingtended straight forwardly from the upper end of the bar and the finger 9is curved laterally and forwardly. Extending from the bar 7 near thecenter thereof is another finger 10 corresponding in shape to the finger9 and arranged directly above it. Extending from the bar 7 between thefingers 9 and 10 is a finger 11 which is curved from end to end anddiverges forwardly away from the fingers 9 and 10 as shown particularlyin Fig. 1.

Notches 12 are formed in the upper face of the finger 8 and said fingeris pointed at its free end as shown at 13.

The means for supporting a mail sack includes an arm 14 having aterminal finger 15 extending in the direction of movement of the car.Extending above this arm 14 is another arm 16 having a finger extendingin the direction of movement of the car, this located directly over thefinger 15. Studs 18 extend laterally from the finger 17.

The mail bag is indicated at B and has a ring R at each end thereof. Theupper ring R is adapted to engage the finger 7 and to bear against thestuds 18 while the lower ring R is adapted to engage the finger 15.IVhen the bag is thus supported it is held directly in the path of thegripping member on the car when said member is swung out to activeposition as shown in Fig. 1. As the car passes the station where the bagis supported, said bag will be received between the fingers 9 and 10 andthe finger 11 and at the same time the upper finger will enter the upperring B so that said ring will rest in one of the notches 12. The impactof the bag against the fingers 9, 10 and 11 will cause the bag to becomewedged between the back portions of the fingers, this being particularlytrue in view of the fact that the finger 11 is opposite the spacebetween the fingers 9 and 10. Consequently the bag will be subjected toa cushioning action and will not only be supported by the ring R on thefinger 8 but will also be supported by frictional engagement with thefingers 9, 10 and 11. The impact of the bag against the gripping elementwill cause the arm 6 to swing backwardly into the car opening so thatthe bag can thus be easily removed and placed in the car.

A similar gripping element can be mounted on a suitable standard at thestation and similar means for supporting the bag can be mounted on theside of the car so that a bag can thus be delivered as readily to astation as it can be received therefrom.

Apparatus such as described will be found useful in efiecting theinterchange of mail to and from a fast moving train and the danger ofdropping a bag of mail to the ground and injuring it is reduced to theminimum.

What is claimed is:

1: Apparatus for elfecting the interchange of mail, including superposedmembers for engaging the upper and lower ends of a flexible mail holdingreceptacle, and means movable against said receptacle to grip andsupport it and remove it from said superposed members, said meansincluding forwardly diverging fingers adapted to receive the receptacletherebetween and to wedge thereupon, one of said fingers being disposedopposite the space between the other fingers.

2. Apparatus for efiecting the interchange of mail, including superposedmembers for Copies of this patent may be engaging the upper and lowerends of a flexible mail holding receptacle, there being a ring upon saidreceptacle, and means movable toward said receptacle to grip and supportthe same and remove it from the superposed members, said means includinga finger pointed in the direction-of movement of said means and movableinto the ring on the receptacle, and fingers diverging in the directionof movement of said means for receiving the receptacle therebetween andwedging upon the receptacle, one of the fingers being arranged to engagethe receptacle at one side and press said receptacle into thespace'between the other fingers at the other side.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. CHAMBERS.

Witnesses J OHN A. POTTER, EMORY SPRULLING.

obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.I

Washington, .D. 0."

